Giving instead of receiving

First-graders have lesson in helping others.

First-graders have lesson in helping others.

December 29, 2009|By SHERRY VAN ARSDALL Tribune Staff Writer

NILES -- Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. That’s how Pat Saxton, director of Christian Service Center in Niles, said she feels about food donated by students at Merritt Elementary School. The first-graders decided to bring in food items rather than exchange gifts during their classroom holiday parties. “They took part in a selfless activity this holiday season,” Principal Karen Weimer said. More than 200 food items were collected for the project, filling several bags for the center. Every little bit helps, especially the staples they collected, Saxton said. The center serves almost 200 families per month and the need is greater than it has been, she added. She’s appreciative of the students reaching out and thinking of others. The center is taking in food as quickly as it goes out, Saxton said. “We were very tickled and most grateful. It’s a real blessing and it gives a little more choice to our clients,” she said. “First-graders are great,” she added. “They are little angels.”